Worcester Sharks are shot down again by Admirals

Sunday

Oct 14, 2012 at 6:00 AMOct 14, 2012 at 2:20 PM

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

The Worcester Sharks dominated the first and third periods and forged a 45-29 edge in shots for the game, but Norfolk goalie Igor Bobkov made 42 saves and the Admirals skated off with a 4-3 shootout victory last night at Norfolk Scope Arena.

James Sheppard scored his first career AHL goal, while rookie Yanni Gourde and rookie defenseman Matt Tennyson added strikes for the Sharks (0-1-1). Sheppard also scored in the shootout, and goalie Harri Sateri finished with 25 saves.

Worcester trailed, 3-2, after two periods, but Tennyson rifled a 60-foot slap shot through a screen with 3:56 remaining in regulation to tie it and force overtime.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead after a first period in which they outshot Norfolk, 15-7. The Admirals actually struck first on their first shot of the game, a point shot on the power play that was tipped past Sateri by Patrick Maroon after just 71 seconds.

But Gourde slammed home a rebound to tie it at 3:23 after a faceoff win in the Norfolk zone by Frazer McLaren. The Sharks took their first lead of the season with four seconds left in the period when Sheppard tapped home the rebound of a Matt Irwin blast from the left point to make it 2-1.

The Admirals controlled the middle period and took a 3-2 lead. Maroon scored his second of the game at 6:21 to make it 2-2, and John Mitchell scored just 2:10 later on a 3-on-2 rush, launching a wicked shot from the right circle.

Worcester’s Travis Oleksuk had two great chances to tie it later in the period, but Bobkov made the saves.

The Sharks unloaded 19 shots on Bobkov in the third period, finally getting the equalizer on Tennyson’s long slap shot.